The 10 Most Impressive Wisconsin Football Players at the Bye Week

Who have been the biggest standouts for the Badgers through five games?

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Badgers, as a team, have authored an impressive start to the season, sitting at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

After a disappointing loss against Notre Dame in the opener, Wisconsin has rattled off four straight wins, three of which have been blowout victories and the other a 17-point comeback on the road.

But which players have stood out the most in Madison? Below, in no particular order, Badgers On SI breaks down the 10 biggest standouts through five games:

RB Darrion Dupree

Wisconsin Badgers running back Darrion Dupree. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dupree has been the Badgers' de-facto RB1 with Iowa State transfer and presumed starter Abu Sama banged up. He's clearly taken his game to another level this fall, as he's coupled his trademark elusiveness with improved strength and contact balance. He's up to 43 carries for 195 yards and two scores, along with seven catches for 62 yards. Dupree is very well-rounded at this point in his career, and after a tough drop on the road in Happy Valley, he was instrumental in helping jump-start the Badgers offense late in the fourth quarter in the comeback win.

CB Javan Robinson

Robinson's coming out party was the Penn State game, when he was targeted 10 times and allowed just two catches. That was one of the best games of the grizzled veteran's career, and his ability to not panic on deep balls even when receivers have a step on him is mightily impressive. Robinson's ball skills are also tremendous at the catch point, and he certainly plays bigger than 5-11, 184 pounds.

TE Jacob Harris

Wisconsin Badgers tight end Jacob Harris. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All offseason, I wrote about how Harris isn't a normal tight end. He's got the hands and body control of an elite, go-to outside receiver. He's proven me right time and time again this fall, And he's the team's second-leading receiver with 13 grabs for 238 yard and three scores. His 72-yard touchdown to take the lead against Penn State will live on in Wisconsin history forever, but his first touchdown against Michigan State when he displayed incredible concentration on an ill-advised throw from Colton Joseph was arguably more impressive.

OLB Sebastian Cheeks

We knew Cheeks was a good player and in particular, a gifted-pass rusher. But considering how much pressure the coaching staff publicly placed on him to take his game to another level, his 2026 season has been extra impressive. Through Week 5, he was the nation's leader in pressures with 27, and he also has 2.5 sacks, three pass-breakups and two forced fumbles. Cheeks has created some of the most havoc on a Mike Tressel defense that looks borderline elite.

WR Malachi Coleman

Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Malachi Coleman. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coleman missed the Eastern Michigan game and has been somewhat limited since his head injury against Western Illinois, but the 6-4 wideout has made some eye-popping plays when he's been on the field. He's also been Wisconsin's go-to deep threat, with a 46-yard touchdown and a 28 yard touchdown. Coleman's speed, size and route-running all appear to be NFL-caliber. Keeping him involved will be critical for offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes.

LB Mason Posa

Posa is without question one of, if not the best, middle linebacker in the country. All of his numbers are impressive, but the one that stands out the most to me? His 29 "stops," or tackles that constitute a failure for the opposing offense, which is second in the nation and first among Power Four players. He had a somewhat quieter start to the season, but in Wisconsin's last two games against Penn State and Michigan State, he's been nothing short of utterly dominant.

LB Cooper Catalano

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Cooper Catalano. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Catalano, like his running mate Posa, has been everything that Badgers fans expected — and that's saying something, considering how high expectations were for these two after their stellar freshman seasons. Catalano leads the team in tackles with 45, and also has three PBUs and a scoop-and-score touchdown. When he's feeling himself, he controls the line of scrimmage.

OT Kevin Heywood

Heywood has been lights out. He's allowed just three pressures across 154 pass-blocking snaps, and he switched to left tackle last week against Michigan State and was just as effective as he's been all year. Coming off a torn ACL makes his performance this season all the more impressive. We've barely mentioned Heywood this fall, which, in the context of an offensive tackle, is a great sign.

OG Stylz Blackmon

Wisconsin offensive lineman Stylz Blackmon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Blackmon has been surprisingly tremendous in his first year of D-I ball. After playing for D-II Augustana last fall, he's now the Badgers' starting right guard and he's fit in perfectly. He hasn't exactly been dominant as a run blocker, but he's made the jump up a division look remarkably smooth.

WR Tyrell Henry

Henry set the single-game receptions record for Wisconsin with 14 catches for 160 yards and a score against Eastern Michigan, and he's the Badgers' leading receiver with 26 catches for 339 yards and the touchdown. Henry has proven to be a reliable underneath option as Wisconsin's top receiver, and he's easily been Joseph's favorite target with 40; the next closest receiver (Eugene Hilton Jr) has 21.